A youth caught with bags of marijuana cleverly concealed in a fake beer can was spared jail time but will be required to perform 600 hours public service work for his crime.
The defendant, Justin Lee Hill Jr., 20 entered guilty pleas before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley to charges of simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. As terms of his plea bargain he will be on probation for an 11-month, 29-day period and have to pay a $1,500 fine, along with performing the 600 hours public service work, which, if broken down into eight hour days would equal 75 days of work.
His sentence comes after Deputy Kelly Carter was told youths were smoking marijuana in a vehicle near the Village area of the Strip.
When the vehicle was stopped, Hill admitted he had three plastic bags containing marijuana and a set of scales. During the search of the vehicle, Carter said he saw Hill take a drink can out of his pocket and place it in the back seat of the vehicle. A subsequent investigation of the can revealed it was not what it appeared to be.
“It was found to be a fake can containing a plastic bag of green leafy substance believed to be marijuana and rolling papers,” Carter revealed.
Carter noted marijuana was also found on another passenger in the vehicle. Hill was originally charged with possession with intent to deliver but the charges were dropped to the misdemeanor count to which he entered a plea.